His Goodbye
by Xenia90
Summary: So after the third season midseason finale I thought it was strange that Oliver didn't say goodbye to Laurel too so I wrote this story with their goodbye. There's nothing romantic between Oliver and Laurel here although I'm a Lauliver shipper here they aren't a couple there's nothing romantic and it follows canon


Malcolm had left almost half an hour before and Oliver was still sitting at a table at the Verdant and still the only thing Oliver could was watching that damn video over and over again. Seeing his sister coming down of that plane after Malcolm and knowing that she had been lying to him for the past moths had been bad enough. But now, watching her kill Sara, shoot those three arrow right against her and the void expression after that was nearly unbearable. And yet he couldn't stop watching.

He had already made up his mind, pretending otherwise was foolish and useless. He couldn't hide from the League. Months ago when he decided to protect Malcolm he had consciously put himself, his friends, his family and his city in danger. Nyssa was determined to kill Sara's killer and he had foolishly hoped that she wouldn't attack him or Starling because surely that this wasn't what Sara would have wanted. He'd been wrong and he couldn't let her kill fifty innocents every night. And he couldn't give them Malcolm either. He couldn't let Nyssa find out that Thea had killed Sara, he couldn't let Nyssa kill Thea. Because he knw that for her it wouldn't matter that Thea was controlled by Malcom, just a puppet in the hands of a crazy man, nothing more than a bow. Nyssa wouldn't care that Thea didn't remember, she would want to kill her and Oliver couldn't let anything happen to his sister. Maybe if he had let Nyssa kill Malcolm moths ago, if he hadn't believed him, maybe Thea would have been safe and no one would ever know that she had killed Sara. But now it was too late. He had no choice. He had to be a pun in Malcolm's plan, he had to turn himself in. It was the only way to save Thea. He was going to face Ra's and he was going to fight him and win. And then he was going to come home to protect Thea from Malcolm. He was fighting for Thea and he was going to win.

Oliver stood up, deleting the video form his phone. It was time to meet Nyssa and set up the conditions for the fight. While he was leaving the club he thought of Laurel. He wondered what would happen if he died. Would Laurel ever find out how Sara died? Would Nyssa go to her and tell her that she had obtained justice for Sara? That he had killed Sara because Sara asked? Would Laurel believe something like that or would she keep looking? And in the end would Laurel find out that it had been Thea? Would she understood that Malcolm was behind that? There was no way to know. He was going to fight with Ra's, he was going to win and come home. And only then he would think about how to deal with Laurel

-…..-…-…-…..-…

The door of the foundry closed behind him. It was time to go. He was going to kill Ra's and then he was going to come home and move on.

Once again while he was leaving the Verdant Oliver found himself thinking about Laurel. He had decided not to go and say goodbye because there was no need to worry her since he was going to come home. And anyway he couldn't tell her the truth about Thea and then leave without helping her understand exactly what had happened and the role that Malcolm Merlyn had in all this; and at the same time he wasn't sure he could lie to her now that she knew he was the Arrow. And then now walking toward his fate he felt that leaving like that, without a word, wasn't right. Laurel had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember and he's loved her for almost as long. She had been the one keeping him alive on that island and even after that he had faced everything only because he wanted to come home to her and apologize for all the pain he'd caused her. Suddenly all his confidence melt away and he shivered, feeling that maybe he wasn't going to come home. And he couldn't leave like that. He owed Laurel more than disappearing without a word. He had promised her that he would help her find Sara's killer and that they would get justice for her together and now he couldn't just leave. He had still enough time to go see her and if he wouldn't come back…

Well he just hoped that Felicity would find his letter in which he asked her to tell Laurel the truth and help her accepting that Merlyn was the one who had to pay and not Thea.

He took his phone and he called her.

When he got to her place Laurel was already waiting him outside. He'd told her that he couldn't stay for long, that he just wanted to wish her happy holidays and that he didn't want to intrude in her celebration with her parents. The expression in her eyes when she got near him told Oliver that he hadn't fooled her. Laurel was worried.

-What's up Ollie?. She asked as soon as they were close enough to talk.

Oliver had thought about lying to her like he did with Thea, he didn't want to tell her anything, he had planned to pretend that he was just saying hello ad nothing more. But looking at her he understood he couldn't lie to her. He had to tell her that this could be his last meeting, he needed to tell her the truth, or at least as much truth as he could.

-Nyssa came in town. Three days ago. The League doesn't want to wait anymore, they want us to turn in Sara's killer tonight or they're going to kill innocent citizen.-

- But…. You don't know who killed Sara…- Laurel said frowning

- Actually… I was wrong Laurel. Months ago when I swore that Malcolm hadn't killed Sara… I was wrong. We looked again in those days and it turned out that he did it… -

- Okay then. We can tell Nyssa, we can tell that you're not going to protect him anymore and….-

- Maybe that was possible months ago. But… Merlyn stopped by the Verdant. He said that if anything happens to him his people will hurt Thea. And I can't let anything bad happen to her. And I can't let the League kill innocents either…- Oliver trailed off and he saw realization and fear appear on her face when she finally understood why he was there and where the speech was going.

- So what… what are you going to do? – she asked after a few seconds

- I'm going to go and fight Nyssa's father. I'll kill him. This should set things right.-

- But.. it's dangerous. He's one of the best fighter in the world. You told me that. How do you know you can beat him?- Laurel asked her voice high because of fear.

- I can do that Laurel. – Oliver told her. – But… well I came to say goodbye… There's no other way. –

Laurel didn't say anything, silent tears started running down her cheeks. Oliver hugged her and Laurel returned the hug clutching him desperately, holding on tight like she did the day Sara died in front of her body.

-I can't lose you too Ollie. There has to be another way- she pleaded.

- There isn't. And you're not going to lose me. I'm going to come back. – Oliver said slipping away from the hug. He kissed her cheek and then left.

Laurel stayed there, crying silently, watching his back while he left. A heavy weight on her heart and the fear that that was the last imagine she would have of Oliver, that that was their last meeting, that she would never see him again.

-…..-…-…..-….-

Kneeling in the snow, hurt, bleedind and cold, while Ra's stood over him, Oliver knew that the end was coming. He was about to die. He'd been a fool thinking that fighting for Thea was going to be enough to kill Ra's, one of the best fighter in the world, head of the most dangerous group of killer in the world.

Kneeling in the snow Oliver wasn't listening to whatever Ra's was saying, he was chasing images of the people in his life.

He saw his father telling him to be careful with Sara on the Queen's Gambit and then killing himself after the boat went down. He saw his mother telling him that she knew he was the Arrow and then dying at Slade's hands. He saw Thea shining with joy when he hugged him when he'd come back from the island and then the strong woman she'd become. He saw Diggle the day he'd been aired has bodyguard/driver and them holding his little daughter Sara. He saw Roy, the street boy crazy in love with Thea and the strong willed hero he'd become after the Mirakuru. He saw Felicity simple and smiling the first time he met her and with tears streaming down her cheeks after their goodbye. He saw their kiss.

And then when Ra's sword pierced his heart he saw Laurel. He saw Laurel smiling while she asked him to move in with her, he saw her when she gave him the picture right before he left with the Queen's Gambit, then mad the fist time he saw her after the island, then he relieved that only night they shared before Tommy died, then he saw how broken she was during her addiction and finally strong and beautiful at their goodbye.

And when Ra's pushed him over the cliff to his death he saw Tommy. The boy he was while they grew up together, the friend who'd stood right next to him when he was back from the island, the horror on his face when he'd found out that Oliver was the Vigilante and finally he saw Tommy dying in his arms.

His last thought when his back hit the rock of the mountain was that now he could finally see Tommy again, then everything went black.


End file.
